A sea of winter clouds parts to reveal ever-green southern Ireland in this true-color Terra MODIS image from February 5, 2005. Surrounded by water, Ireland has the Atlantic Ocean to its west, the Celtic Sea to the south, and the Irish Sea separating it from England to the east. Ireland benefits from the moderating influence that large bodies of water have on regional climates: its winters are cool—but not freezing—and damp, and summertime temperatures rarely exceed 70 degrees Fahrenheit. These moderate temperatures are the result of warmer ocean water being brought up into the North Atlantic by the Gulf Stream, and its extension, the North Atlantic Drift.